Recognising a rise in the number of foreign companies in Cambodia, Malaysian event-management company A & D Creative Solutions is looking to expand its business here, specialising in corporate events.

A & D Account Director Audrey Wong, who has been visiting Cambodia for the past few years, sees many opportunities for event services.

“I see a vast difference in Cambodia in terms of the number of companies that are entering the market. Besides buildings and infrastructure, development is getting better,” Wong said.

“When there is a new market, companies need a professional team to handle their launches, corporate functions, annual din­ners and so forth.”

The public relations and media company Quantum Publicity specialises in press and broadcast publicity services.

Quantum Publicity Managing Director Glen Felgate agrees Cambodia is becoming more attractive for large corporations.

“It’s a fast-moving, fast-developing economy, and they [foreign corporations] are eyeing a growing middle class,” Felgate said.

“There’s more disposable income in the market, and more people have jobs, so people are coming into the country to be a part of that.”

The Cambodian-owned Khmer Advertising Agency (KAA) does events and advertising work for smaller multinational companies and local businesses.

KAA account manager Jay Pee Garcia said he was not concerned about foreign companies moving into the market.

“They [Malaysian businesses] are competitive, but there are also good things about them: they can complement the industry and provide something different,” Garcia said.

“They can influence us and bring us some ideas from their own country that we didn’t know of.”

A & D Creative Solutions hopes to be in Cambodia by the end of this year.

In Cambodia, Wong has met a fellow events manager and doesn’t rule out the possibility of teaming up.

“It’s always nice to partner with local people,” she said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel de Carteret at [email protected]